Led by Ed DeSeve and David S. C. Chu, the program was described by NAPA as one which provides management and procedural advice to the leading candidates in establishing transition teams.

[13] In early May 2016, after Trump became the presumptive nominee, campaign officials announced they would name the members of a presidential transition team within the "upcoming weeks".

[15] Three days later, Trump announced that New Jersey Governor (and former rival presidential candidate) Chris Christie had agreed to head the effort.

[19] Meanwhile, on July 29, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough led a conference call with Chris Christie to discuss transition procedures.

During the call, McDonough informed Christie that Anita Breckenridge and Andrew Mayock will be the administration's primary "points of contact" with the Trump campaign moving forward.

[25] In the early hours of November 9, 2016, media outlets reported Trump would secure enough votes in the Electoral College to win the presidential election.

[26] Prior to Trump's return to his private residence at Trump Tower, the United States Secret Service initiated "unbelievable security measures", including closing East 56th Street to all traffic, reinforcing a cordon of sand-laden dump trucks that had been placed around the building the night before to defend the site from being rammed with a car bomb, and deploying New York City Police Department tactical teams around the skyscraper.

Its assets would be put into a trust run by his two oldest sons Donald Jr. and Eric, together with existing chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg.

[37] Shortly after noon on November 9, outgoing president Barack Obama made a statement from the Rose Garden of the White House, in which he announced that he had spoken, the previous evening, with Trump and formally invited him to the White House the next day, November 10, for discussions to ensure "that there is a successful transition between our presidencies".

President Obama said he had instructed his staff to "follow the example" of the George W. Bush administration in 2008, who he said could "not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition".

Over the next twenty-four hours, and with little warning, Christie loyalists were quickly removed from the transition team in what was characterized by NBC News as a "Stalinesque purge".

Under Christie, many of the members of the transition team were registered lobbyists who had worked on issues overseen by the agencies they were charged with staffing or affected by policies they were preparing.

[52][53] However, by November 16, Pence had introduced new restrictions that Politico described as "in some ways far more rigid than President Barack Obama's groundbreaking lobbyist ban".

[58] As of November 15, all briefings of the transition team by government were on hold pending the need for incoming chair Mike Pence to sign an agreement with the Obama administration.

[61] On November 17, Trump met with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger in order to discuss matters relating to foreign affairs.

[68] Spokesman Jason Miller did not identify the reason for Flynn's dismissal; however, The New York Times reported that other officials had confirmed it was related to a tweet he made regarding the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

[88] All positions, except chief of staff and vice president, require the advice and consent of the United States Senate prior to taking office.

"[89] On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal stated that "it's nearly impossible to identify a clear ideological bent in the incoming president's" cabinet nominations.